An interesting service, that's for sure. There was an earlier post about this. You might also want to post this message on the Southern forum to reach a wider audience. Here is a link that might be useful: Earlier post

Ww have wild or feral hogs here in southwest Washington County Arkansas also. The first showed up about 12 years ago. Sow had a litter between the rows of hay stored outside. In 12 years they have over-run the territory. Biggest issue is the destruction of pastures and hay medows. We have trapped and either sold or butchered dozens each year for the past several years. Hunters usually bring the numbers down during deer season. But with no real natural preadators, their numbers continue to climb. For our area, the true Razorback has been extinct for a very long time. What we are seeing are domistic animals turned feral. They have migrated here or been hauled in. I live 1 mile from the national forest. Nothing between me and Fort Smith but Lee Creek. Hogs will turn feral quicker than any other animal. About 3 generations is all it takes, or less than 5 years. Had the same issue with the armidilo many years back. We would go out on a sunny warm winter day and have killed up to 30 in an afternoon. They would come out on days like that and were easy to spot in the sun shine as they dug around in the pastures. It took several years to get their numbers down enough that a man didn't have to spend a couple weeks filling holes in his hay medows. Bears arn't that big a problem here. Had a teenager tear into our Church/community building a couple of times. Game and Fish asked us to wait until spring to see if the youngster would move on, if not they would trap him. And move on he did. I still see one or two a year. Supposed to be cats here as will. I've never seen one, but others have. All in all, those hogs are the worst all the way around. More dangerous, more destructive and by far more difficult to control. Good Luck folks.....

Sue, As long as they don't add, "Crazy" in front of "cat lady"....I am known as the cat lady in our neighborhood and I honestly think there might be a sign at the end of the street, "Home for Wayward Cat/kittens" and it's pointed right at my house.... My Dh, like your's, has put his foot down, softly...(He's almost as bad as me.) At one time, we had 2 feral mommas on the patio and each had had a litter of 6...When the kits started getting older the mothers tried taking them into the bushes, to teach them to live on their own...That's when we bundled up all the kittens, put them in our basement and would bring them out for feedings...We had to sit with them and as soon as they were done eating, back in the basement...There were times when momma would start through the yard, make a noise and all the babies would run after her...My DH would run with a big box and be scooping up kittens along the way...As soon as the kittens were weaned, we were able to get them adopted...It was like giving up my own kids and boy did I screen the new parents...We were able to get those 2 females spayed and they are still living on our patio....I loved having all those little ones and often would foster for one of our local no kill shelters. From fostering, I did keep 2 little girls and now when I mention fostering, DH gives me that look....But what a thrill, watching them grow.....I keep saying, if I ever win that lottery, I'll have the best shelter around.....See, how I can go on and on when it comes to talking about fur babies.......You should be around when I pull out the pictures....

The feral hogs are dangerous only if you get them cornered or injure one of them, or if you get between a sow and her babies. Really no different from any other wild animal. People who hunt them, fight them with dogs....to them, that is sport. Of course they are going to fight under those circumstances. My dogs are severely reprimanded for barking at them, because the only way these are dangerous to me, is if they get after the dogs and I am in the way and get ran over in the process. When Lee first had the pigs, I was very cautious around her. That first pic was made from a distance. However, now when I am out at night, they are under foot. I never show any fear to her. I know she is moody in general, so if she is blocking my path, I tell her to get out of the way....in a not so friendly voice. She will grumble, but she does it. I have gone back to giving her, her nightly baths. People who have raised hogs, come here and are surprised to see the chickens around them...even eating with them when they are here early in the day...and the hogs never bother them. They say hogs they had raised, would grab a chicken and eat it, if it could. These hogs are very well fed and the chickens have been here since day one. They don't bother them. Newton is such a hog...sometimes he will let the babies eat with him, and sometimes not. Often I have to stand out there and tell him, "Get back, Newton!!" and he gets back. Hogs are very intelligent. I think because I am very fair with these...I don't hit them or if I have to raise my voice, it is for a reason, and not just yelling at them in general, they respond okay. Now...if they were in a pen all the time, especially a small pen...I think that would stress them and they might be more dangerous to be around. When we fence an area for Newton...or maybe Lee...or may just take turns letting them out...just trying to keep them separate, it will be a large area. I do have respect for Pig Newton...the fact that he is so skittish....and it is just as well that he isn't tame. I would never trust him, if he was. So I keep my distance and he keeps his, but that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy a treat of an apple or ear of fresh corn, or whatever I have for them once in awhile. One time had an emergency with Piggy Sue. The raccoons here have learned to open pop top cans, and they got a can of dog food, opened it, and had eaten most of it, but some was left in the bottom. She tried to eat it and got the can impaled on her lower jaw. Her tusks (?) (canines?) were sticking through the can on each side. It was terribly painful for her and she was crying. I tried to get it off and I couldn't. I found some tin snips but when I came out, she had gone off to the woods with P Lee. I looked for her but couldn't find her. This happened while Jody was working, so no one home but me. My best friend came over to help me, but we couldn't even find her. That night she came up. I had hoped she had managed to dislodge the can, but she hadn't. I talked to her and talked to her. Told her to lay down. I kept talking to her in a soothing voice. I had a hard time using the snips because both of my hands have been injured and are pretty messed up. But she knew I was trying to help her and she let me cut the can off. If it had been Lee or if that happened to Newton, I don't know what I would do. Lee knows to lay down when I tell her, but she doesn't have the easy going disposition that Sue has.